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Boot Camp for Journalists

Build your clip file in a fast-paced reporting and writing class

Course is closed.
Boot Camp for Journalists

DURATION/TIME
8 weeks
Thursdays
October 26 - December 21
7-10 pm

LEVEL
Intermediate

LOCATION
New York (Soho)

PRICE
$499 ($475 for )
more info

Course Details

Congratulations! You've got a clip or two -- now you want more, in bigger, better publications, with bigger, better paychecks. You're ready for Boot Camp for Journalists.

 

Each week, you'll push yourself to research, write, and pitch a new piece. Classes will begin with your instructor's lectures, but will primarily be devoted to workshopping student writing. Lecture notes, handouts, reporting and writing tips, and examples will guide you outside class. By the end of eight weeks, you'll have a new portfolio of work and a new set of skills.

 

Assignments include a service/how-to piece, an arts and culture review, a profile, a metro section piece, an editorial, a business/news article, a personal essay, and two pitch letters.

In this class, you can expect to learn:
    • How to write a pitch an editor can't turn down
    • Which magazines are most freelancer friendly
    • How to edit yourself and manage tight deadlines
    • How to work with editors so they'll want to work with you
By the end of class, students can expect to have:
A complete portfolio of 7 publishable articles that will impress any editor, the ability to work under tight deadlines, and the know-how to create the career you want.

Admission requirements:
Students must have at least one published article. Please submit a letter of interest (including a brief work history), and a writing sample (less than 2,000 words).

Instructor Bio

Alana Newhouse's Courses

No courses available at this time.

Alana Newhouse
Alana Newhouse is the arts and culture editor at the Forward newspaper, where she wears the multi-faceted hat of critic, writer, and editor for articles on books, film, visual arts, dance, and music. Her arts reporting has also appeared in The New York Times, The New York Times Book Review, The Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe Ideas section, and Slate. She is a graduate of Barnard College and the Columbia University School of Journalism.

Testimonials


How to Become an Arts Journalist was fantastic. Alana was clear and concise, while giving a lot of valuable information that made me feel like I could immediately start a career as a freelance arts journalist. I walked away from the class gaining more than I anticipated and I'll definitely take more in the future. -- Keren Baltzer, former student

"Alana's Arts Journalism seminar really helped me refine a pitch I was developing for The New York Times. I had some ideas and a piece, but the seminar I took with Alana really helped me refine the pitch. It provided me with the confidence that my ideas would be heard by the right editors. My essay was published in the Times' Modern Love section in July, 2005. I now feel much bolder about pitching in the future." -- Stephen Johnson, freelancer

"I recommend Alana's class to anyone beginning in the world of arts journalism. She gave a dynamic, clearly thought-out, thorough presentation that covered everything from how to pitch articles to how to write them. Moreover, Alana asked our interests at the start of class and deftly tailored her presentation for the specific needs of those present, and was eager to answer questions about everything from how to become an editor to whether journalism school was worthwhile. She was warm, enthusiastic, extremely knowledgeable, and clearly loved teaching. Her class was a real treat. " -- Kyle Patrick Smith, freelancer

"For the fledgling as well as the established arts journalists out there, Alana's seminar is rich with seasoned advice that can be both immediately serviceable as well as food for constant thought and reevaluation. Her presentation was vibrant, focused while being inclusive, and exhibited an invested generosity towards the fate of her newfound students that can only be described as stunning. The best teachers make their disciplines seem easy, while maintaining the allure of complexity, and Alana succeeded marvelously. Quite the treat, and not to be missed." -- Alex Ambrose, freelancer

"Alana presents such an informative class. I've already made some progress now that I've learned which steps to take first. Yesterday I approached the editor-in-chief of Art + Auction about my story, and he offered me a chance to start writing small, uncredited pieces in the magazine's "spotlights" section. It's the exact opportunity I needed! Thanks a million times, Alana!" -- Maggie Perez, assistant LTB Custom Publishing

"Alana's seminar was my first class with mediabistro and both she and the course exceeded my expectations. The information she presented was both helpful and entertaining, and Alana did a really great job of creating a dialoge amongst the participants rather than just lecturing to us. I would highly recommend her to my friends and take another one of her seminars. I'm also going to keep my eye out for her articles because I think she is a talented and insightful writer." -- Michael Valaire, freelancer

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